


Photographs

by e_of_west_glendia



Category: Harry Potter - J.K Rowling
Genre: Photographs, Pictures, Remus Lupin’s Birthday, Tribute Fic, birthday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:55:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24875767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_of_west_glendia/pseuds/e_of_west_glendia
Summary: A series of pictures from certain times in Remus’s life.
Relationships: James Potter/ Lily Evans, Jily - Relationship, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Remus Lupin/Sirius Black, dorlene - Relationship, wolfstar - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Photographs

**Author's Note:**

> A fic written for Remus Lupin’s birthday.

It had been a warm summer evening. The kind with just enough breeze to cool you off but not enough to make you cold— that had been the water's job. They’d sat on the edge of the sand, the waves lapping at their feet and beckoning them forward. Begging them to come off the sand and explore the ocean below. 

They’d laid there, staring at the setting sun and enjoying the pure simplicity of the moment. They were Remus and Sirius, Sirius and Remus. The other rest of their friends were scattered around the beach. Playing various games and splashing water at each other. 

“Put me down, James!” Lily had said. He didn’t, instead James had only laughed and dumped her into the water. The waves swallowed her. She didn’t come up for air for a while. So long that James had begun to panic, and then, there she was, pushing up from the water and dragging James down with her. 

They had all laughed as James flailed about, trying to keep his balance. Then laughed some more as he gave up and went crashing into the surf, spitting out sea water and indignantly shoving water back at Lily. 

Sirius took Remus’ hand, lacing their fingers together. Remus looked down at their entwined fingers, smiling softly. 

“I’m glad we’re here, Moony,” Sirius had said.   
“Me too”

They had stayed like that for a moment, holding hands and breathing in the fresh coastal air mixed with the subtle scent of sea spray. Then, Sirius pushed himself up on his elbows. 

“What?” Remus asked.  
“Nothing...just—are you happy?” His head had been tilted to the side in a dog like fashion.

Remus had sat up, too. “Why do you ask?” 

Sirius shook his head bitterly. “We’re in the middle of a war, Remus, and here we are sitting on a beach and watching the sunset. The world’s crashing and burning around us and I can’t help but wonder, how can any of us really be happy?” 

Remus smiled at him, it was filled with love and sadness and pain and memories— so many memories.

“We’ve been through so much together already, seen so much.” He’d turned his head out towards the rest of their friends. Seemingly carefree with lazy smiles and bursts of laughter. Then he turned back to Sirius. “But I’ve always found that no matter where I am or what’s going on I’m always happy when I’m with my friends.” 

Sirius snorted, “That’s so fucking cheesy.” 

“Well you asked.” 

Sirius barked out a laugh. “That’s true.” Then he grabbed Remus by the arm and pulled him down into the sand. 

*********

They’d been in 5th year when the meteor shower happened. Sirius had heard something from Professor Sinistra about it and made some joke or another about fallen stars. 

“I’m just saying I think it’s be right up my alley, what with me being a fallen star whatnot.” 

Remus has smacked him in the arm. “Shut up with your disowned Black jokes. You’ve made enough to last me a lifetime.” 

Peter said, “Well he’s not wrong.” 

“I hate you all,” Remus grumbled. 

“Even me?” James asked.

Remus didn’t even turn to look at him, continuing out the portrait hole, blanket in hand. “Yes, James. Even you.” 

At the top of the astronomy tower Peter and James had laid on the ground on the blankets. While Sirius and Remus sat on the railing. Sirius with his feet dangling off the sides and Remus leaned back against one of the pillars, legs pulled up to his chest. 

“This is nice,” Sirius said.

“Yeah,” Remus agreed. 

Nothing had happened yet, the sky was still and filled with hundreds of thousands of twinkling stars. 

Then Marlene had appeared, more people slowly trickling in behind her. 

Lily lifted her camera, pointing it at the Marauders. 

“Smile!” 

They did, the shutters of the camera going off with a faint click. 

Then, like a switch being flicked, the sky lit up, filled with streaks of fire and bright lights. A collective gasp echoed through the astronomy tower. Funny how even though they had magic the most mundane of things could still be counted on to amaze. 

“Very nice,” Remus amended. Then they’d all sat back and watched the sky fall.

**********

The flat hadn’t been new when they’d bought it and it certainly didn’t look new now. It had gone from slightly dirty floors, to stained and damaged within a week. 

Mismatched furniture and odd posters spelled to the walls. The eyes of the animated pictures following them around the room.

The smell of ash burned into the air from cigarette smoke. But it had been theirs and that’s all that mattered. 

Somehow Remus and Lily has managed to get a TV working. It’s for entertainment, they’d said, when the others had objected. It won’t hurt to have it. 

And it hadn’t. You couldn’t count the number of times they had sat on the patchwork couch watching movies. 

James and Remus and Peter and Sirius. The Marauders. A family. They’d invite the girls, too. And Fabian and Kingsley. All of them crammed into that small flat. Sitting on the edges of the sofa and spilling onto the floor. Shushing each other as the movie played. 

Remus had chosen that time. Some old Muggle flick with lots of singing. Nobody — save for Lily — had expected to like it, but they had. That was to be expected—when was Remus ever wrong?

The twins had brought firewhiskey over. Sirius, Gideon and Marlene playing drinking games, a hiccup between every word. Slowly they roped in the rest of the group, Remus and Lily being the hardest to convince. Lily figured that someone ought to watch them so that they don’t kill themselves. Remus warning that he would win. 

In the end, they’d all succumbed. Minds spinning as they belted out lyrics to songs they didn’t know. Off beat melodies somehow blurring together into continuous hum. They’d finished out the night passed out in the living room. And in case you were wondering, Remus of course, had won the drinking games. 

*******

Another summer came to pass. A different one with different meanings and higher stakes. Order meetings in the dead of night and mysterious missions. 

People had been going out and some never came back. 

The Marauders had been gone, too. Especially Remus. There some days and gone the next. No one knowing where he went or why. 

Tensions had been high and everyone was on alert. Nobody had been cleared of suspicion. Except for tonight. 

Tonight everyone who was supposed to be there was there. Everyone gathered in the hall. Placed in rows from tallest to smallest. 

The Marauders has been scattered around on opposite sides of each other. But they weren’t worried. They were unstoppable, unbreakable, they were the Marauders. 

They were all facing forward, smiling faces masking secrets. Secrets that didn’t matter right now. In that moment everything was fine. Nothing had changed and would ever change. 

********  
Harry stared down at the photo album smiling sadly at bittersweet memories that weren’t his own. 

The images flickered, capturing frozen moments in time when they’d all been alive. When they’d all been well. He didn’t often open this photo album. Too many things to do and so little time. But it was nights like these that he felt he should. Let himself dwell on what could’ve been. 

March 10th 2020. Remus’ birthday. This book was one of the only things he had left of him. Teddy, was another. The stories of friends a third, but none of them, he thought, showed Remus as well as the pictures did. 

The showed another side of him, a side he’d rarely ever seen when he’d known him. That Remus was long gone. Even longer gone than the man himself. 

Part of him wished he could have him back. Ask him things he should’ve thought to ask before it was too late, before he was gone. Another, stronger part of him knew it was for the best. Harry knew Remus never would have wanted to leave Teddy or him for that matter. Yet he couldn’t help but feel happy for him. He remembered that night in the forest when he’d died. He remembered the train station that would take him someplace new, someplace unfamiliar. 

Harry had been able to come back. It wasn’t his time to leave yet. Remus had gone though. He’d taken that train to wherever it went and Harry could only hope that the ride would share the same purpose as Remus’ first trip on the Hogwarts express.

Happy birthday Remus, Harry thought to himself, shutting the cover of the book. I hope you finally were able to go home.


End file.
